LakeWalesNews.net - Hometown stories that count from people who care

Lakeland artist Gillian Fazio specializes in "new age flora and fauna." She completed her largest project this week in downtown Lake Wales, a 3,000-square-foot mural of oranges, blossoms and butterflies.

When restoration of the One Scenic Central Building required resurfacing of the building's north wall, Lake Wales Main Street stepped up to sponsor a modern mural to replace the one depicting the area's turpentine industry from the early 1900s.

Local artist Tom Freeman, who died Oct. 1, painted the original mural at the corner of Scenic Highway and Central Avenue in the mid-1990s. It had b...